Team India won the bronze medal at the inaugural esports event of the Commonwealth Games 2022. The Indian DOTA 2 team defeated New Zealand by a 2-0 score in the 3rd place match held on August 7, in Birmingham, England.
Esports was added to the Commonwealth Games 2022 as an inaugural event, where a total of three games, namely Rocket League, DOTA 2, and eFootball were played. Team India participated in two medal events, Rocket League and Dota 2. Unfortunately, the Rocket League team could not make it past the league stage. The Dota 2 representatives, led by Moin Ejaz, had a good run in the tournament and won the bronze.
Team India started their Commonwealth Esports Championships 2022 journey by defeating Wales by a 60-15 scoreline. Their next match was against England, where they suffered a 22-53 loss.
However, based on their score, the Indian team progressed to the semi-final where they faced Malaysia. The semifinal was a best-of-three series, and Malasiya dominated the matches to emerge victorious in the end.
India was subsequently matched against New Zealand to fight for the bronze medal. The Indian DOTA 2 team, comprising Moin Ejaz, Ketan Goyal, Abhishek Yadav, Shubhnam Goli, and Vishal Vernekar, outshined NZ in a best-of-three series, winning both the matches and clean sweeping the series by 2-0.
Match 1
Radiant (India): Death Prophet, Earthshaker, Juggernaut, Ember Spirit, and Grimstroke
Dire (New Zealand): Spectre, Abaddon, Zeus, Marci, and Pudge
The Indian team proved to be a formidable opponent from the start of the series. They dominated the whole match and did not give the opponents a chance to mount a comeback in the game. The Indian Dota 2 team won the first match with a 38-11 scoreline. Ember Spirit and Grimstroke were the standout main characters.
Match 2
Radiant (India): Razor, Phantom Assassin, Puck, Marci, and Tusk
Dire (India): Juggernaut, Dragon Knight, Treant Protector, Windranger, and Beastmaster
In the second match, India had a slow start. The New Zealand side kept the pressure and had India under control. Phantom Assassin was assigned to build a slow lead.
After hitting a 50-50 deadlock, India secured the mega creeps and managed to break New Zealand’s final defensive strategy. They went on to win the game and claim the bronze medal.
This medal is not counted in the official tally of Commonwealth Games medals, but it has certainly brought India onto the global esports roadmap. The entire Indian gaming community is proud of the DOTA 2 team.